ISIS radio station in Afghanistan destroyed

"Voice of the Caliphate" station by ISIS branch in Afghanistan destroyed by American airstrikes.

Ben Ariel, 03/02/16 03:45

Radio studio (illustration)

Thinkstock

An Islamic State (ISIS)-operated radio station in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan has been destroyed by American airstrikes, officials said Tuesday, according to Fox News.

The radio station, known by the name "Voice of the Caliphate", was destroyed by two U.S. airstrikes, according to a U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

While ISIS has mostly been known to be operating in Iraq and Syria, where it seized large swathes of territory and declared them a “caliphate”, an ISIS affiliate has also emerged in Afghanistan over the past year, with a military presence in districts near the border with Pakistan.

According to Fox News, the radio station was broadcasting illegally across Nangarhar, calling on fighters to join the group and threatening journalists in the provincial capital, Jalalabad.

Afghan officials had said they believed the broadcasts were coming from mobile facilities that could be moved easily back and forth across the mountainous border.

The spokesman for the Nangarhar governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said the strikes had also killed 21 ISIS supporters, including five who were working for the radio station.

The station was set up in late 2015, following months of fierce fighting between ISIS group militants and the Taliban, who also maintain a significant presence in the region, noted Fox News.

Although ISIS and the Taliban both want to impose a harsh version of Islamic rule, they are bitterly divided over leadership and strategy, with the Taliban narrowly focused on Afghanistan and ISIS bent on establishing a worldwide caliphate.

The report also noted that radio is a powerful medium in Afghanistan, where most people do not have televisions and only 10 percent of the population has access to the Internet. Nearly everyone has access to radio, with around 175 stations operating across the country.

ISIS is, of course, widely known for its propaganda videos, which have featured beheadings and burnings of hostages, as well as threats against Western countries.

Most recently, the group released a video showing jihadists preparing for the Paris attacks and calling on Muslims living in Europe to carry out lone-wolf attacks.